ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The governor of New Mexico accompanied renewable energy leaders Thursday to discuss green energy and how the state can become less dependent on the oil and gas industry.

The Electrify New Mexico conference focused on three key areas: building electrification, solar energy, and more electric vehicles on the road.

In less than four years Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants nearly half of all vehicles sold in New Mexico to be zero-emission vehicles. This is just one of the many clean energy initiatives rolled out by the governor. Thursday, she discussed how federal dollars will help us get there.

“These tax credits meant for both used cars and new cars, that we aren’t pricing people out of the market,” she said.

Jim DesJardins, the executive director of the Renewable Energy Industries Association of NM said, “As we move forward there are more and more used vehicles available as well. That combined with the federal and state tax credits really, I think make them very affordable.”

One of the biggest concerns for people is reliability because New Mexico is very rural. The governor and industry leaders said they were aware this could deter people from purchasing EVs.

“I know New Mexico, we have some gaps, but $100 million is making its way to make sure that that reliability to drivers and tourists and going between businesses, that your EVs can adequately get charged,” Lujan Grisham said.

She also announced $20 billion being distributed by the EPA for renewable energy initiatives that New Mexico can get in on.

The Inflation Reduction Act was also a big topic of conversation Thursday and the importance of New Mexico getting part of those $369 billion.

“This [transitions] is inevitable, it is going to happen so we need to plan for it, we need to take advantage of it, we need to do everything we can to make it so it can be done as best as possible for the state of NM,” DesJardins said.

Beyond federal dollars, the governor said there is also opportunity for investors in the private sector and matching money from the legislature.

“New Mexico can match in many ways the same advanced manufacturing tax credit in the inflation reduction act giving us an edge. For little states with only 2 million people, we are going to need some of those advantages so let’s take them,” she said.